M66

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of vehicles which travel each day during peak periods between Bury and Manchester on the M66; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Information from the Highways Agency is that during the period Monday 23 June 2008 to Friday 27 June 2008 inclusive, the traffic flows during peak hours on the M66 between Bury and Manchester was:
	
		
			  Vehicle volumes per hour between M66 junction 3 and M60/M62 junction 
			  Time of day  Total vehicles per hour 
			 Southbound 7 am to 10 am 4,291 
			 Northbound 7 am to 10 am 3,170 
			 Southbound 4 pm to 7 pm 3,146 
			 Northbound 4 pm to 7 pm 4,294 
		
	
	These figures represent typical vehicle volumes for that route.

Departmental Responsibilities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reviews of regulation  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have conducted or commenced since July 2007; and in which areas.

Shaun Woodward: Since July 2007 the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies have not conducted any reviews on regulation.
	We are considering the appropriate timing for post legislative scrutiny of Northern Ireland Acts and Orders in Council on excepted and reserved matters that have received Royal Assent since 2005.
	We will be agreeing the handling of these reviews with the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee.

Afghanistan: Morphine

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer of 8th February 2007 by Lord Triesman, PQ HL1749, what his most recent estimate is of the costs of producing morphine in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Australia; and on what bases the costs are estimated.

Meg Munn: holding answer 1 July 2008
	 In 2008, we estimate that it costs US$385 to produce one kilogram of morphine equivalent(1) in Afghanistan. However, this is the 'farm gate' cost of illegal opium production, not the manufacturing cost of the final morphine product. This does not therefore include the following: regulation and security (policing of product, security of product transport from farm to factory); processing; equipment; chemicals; labour costs; and other business costs. These costs are unknown for Afghanistan. We estimate that the breakdown of costs for opium production in Afghanistan (per hectare) is as follows: production costs include fertiliser (estimated at 250 kilograms of urea and 250 kilograms of diammonium phosphate per hectare at a cost of US$210); oxen (at a rate of 10 days per hectare at a cost of US$8 per day); 350 labour days, including 200 days for harvesting (at an estimated wage rate of US$4 per day); and 150 days for land preparation; sowing; weeding; field clearance and seed collection (at an estimated rate of US$2.80 per day).
	The Australian Crime Commission advise that it costs a licit manufacturer in Australia approximately US$300 (as at 30 June 2008) to produce one kilogram of morphine. This is the cost of the final product, not the 'farm gate' cost. Due to the commercially sensitive nature of this data, a breakdown of the Australian Crime Commission figures is not available. In 1999 the International Narcotics Control Board stated that the price paid to growers was US$56 for each kilogram of morphine equivalent. The breakdown of these costs is also confidential.
	(1) This assumes opium production of around 40 kilograms per hectare and that 10 kilograms of opium is required to produce one kilogram of morphine equivalent.

Bosco Ntaganda

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking together with its international partners to ensure that the government of Democratic Republic of Congo complies with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Bosco Ntaganda.

Meg Munn: The UK is ready to provide whatever assistance may be required to ensure that those accused of the most serious crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) are brought into custody. Co-operation between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the ICC has already led to the arrest of three DRC nationals, as part of the ICC's investigations into the situation in the DRC. We expect the Government of the DRC to provide the same level of co-operation over the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda.

Members: Correspondence

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thurrock of 20th May 2008 on the visit to the US of HRH the Prince of Wales in 2006; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply to the letter.

Meg Munn: I replied on 9 July to my hon. Friend's letter of 20 May on the visit to the US of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in 2005. The delay in replying was caused by the length of time needed to research the response thoroughly.

Republic of Ireland: Treaty of Lisbon

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Wellingborourgh of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 779W, on the Republic of Ireland: Lisbon Treaty, under what circumstances the Government can withdraw an instrument of ratification in respect of an international treaty once it has been deposited with the treaty depositary; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 14 July 2008
	 The EU (Amendment) Bill received Royal Assent on 19 June. We are proceeding to ratification in the usual way; once prepared, the instrument of ratification will be deposited with the Italian Government in Rome. Once deposited, it will not be withdrawn.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Trade

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many trade inquiries were handled by the British High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department has incurred on the promotion of trade with the Maldives in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	The UKTI Trade and Investment team in Colombo handled 241 trade inquiries for the period from April 2007 to March 2008.
	UKTI has neither a presence in the Maldives nor financial resources specifically dedicated to the promotion of trade with the islands. No change in this position is currently envisaged.
	The British high commission in Colombo (Sri Lanka) however handles inquiries about trade with the Maldives on a reactive basis and companies interested in trading with the islands have access to background information via the UKTI website.

Departmental Official Cars

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Leader of the House which make and model of car she has chosen as her Ministerial car to be provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Helen Goodman: The Leader of the House's current ministerial car is a Toyota Prius leased under agreement by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members claimed additional costs allowance in respect of a second home  (a) in London,  (b) in the hon. Member's constituency and  (c) elsewhere in the last period for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: Hon. Members are entitled to claim the Additional Costs Allowance when staying away from their main home on parliamentary business. The allowance may be used for help with the cost of purchase or rental of a property, or for hotel or other overnight costs. Currently 441 Members claim the allowance for staying in London and 148 in their constituency.
	Of the 148 Members claiming the allowance for staying in the constituency, 34 have homes that fall outside the constituency boundary. All of these are within 20 miles of the boundary, in accordance with the rules that allow second homes to be located up to 20 miles outside the constituency.

Bank Melli plc

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the EU designation and his Department's asset freeze imposed on Bank Melli plc is  (a) related to Bank Melli plc's activities or  (b) aimed at the holding company in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 8 July 2008
	The financial sanctions imposed on Bank Melli plc are directly applicable EC sanctions which the UK has an obligation to enforce. The EC sanctions designated Bank Melli Iran and its branches and subsidiaries abroad, including Melli Bank plc and Bank Melli Iran Zao. As the relevant Council Decision makes clear, Melli Bank Plc is designated for financial sanctions as a part of the Bank Melli group and as a subsidiary of Bank Melli Iran.

Foreign Investment in UK: India

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much foreign direct investment into the UK was from Indian investors in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on foreign direct investment (FDI) annually in the "Business Monitor MA4: Foreign Direct Investment". The latest available data on FDI is for 2006, as follows, and available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/MA42006.pdf
	
		
			  Net FDI international positions in the United Kingdom,  1998  to 2006 
			   Stock of FDI from India to UK (£ million) 
			 1998 94 
			 1999 104 
			 2000 182 
			 2001 162 
			 2002 162 
			 2003 194 
			 2004 164 
			 2005 518 
			 2006 795 
			  Source: Table 6.1 in Business Monitor MA4: Foreign Direct Investment 2006.

Revenue and Customs: Weston-Super-Mare

John Penrose: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the business case for the proposal to close the HM Revenue and Customs office in Weston-super-Mare.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs do not produce a single business case document for any specific building or location. The overall business case within which HMRC's regional review programme operates is its need to restructure in order to achieve the required efficiency savings and customer service improvements. Most of these savings are realised at business unit or even departmental level, and cannot realistically be apportioned to particular offices.

Valuation Office: ICT

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding the Valuebill project has received from the Invest to Save budget.

Jane Kennedy: The Invest to Save Budget has not provided funding for the Valuebill project.

Valuation Office: Travel

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's guidelines on travelling and subsistence contained in Section 7 of The Guide publication on the Agency's intranet.

Jane Kennedy: A copy of section 7 of the Valuation Office Agency's Guide has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) new capital investment and  (b) refurbishment of property in each of the last 10 years, broken down by project.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information for the period requested, broken down for the period from June 2001 onwards, being the inception of DEFRA, could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Department did not have systems in place to record all the information in the format requested and it would take several days to review systems and track all individual projects.
	However spend, excluding property disposal income, against the Departments capital investment programme, on new and refurbishment projects but excluding projects for a number of its agencies (VLA, VMD, CSL, CEFAS) for the period 2001 has been identified as (rounded to the nearest £1 million):
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-03 5 
			 2002-03 9 
			 2003-04 13 
			 2004-05 24 
			 2005-06 22 
			 2006-07 18 
			 2007-08 19 
		
	
	During this period the following specific projects in excess of £0.5 million were undertaken and completed:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 London, 3-8 Whitehall Place—Fit out of developer led scheme 2.11 
			 London, Nobel House—Major refurbishment 33.9 
			 London, 55 Whitehall—Major refurbishment 4.97 
			 London, Ergon House—Major refurbishments 3.5 
			 London, 9 Millbank—Major refurbishments 3.0 
			 Workington, BCMS Offices—New build modular offices 1.5 
			 London, Eastbury House—Major refurbishments 1.3 
			 Reading, Northgate House—Fit out of new Innovation Centre 1.51 
			 Stafford, RAF Stafford—Fit out for new GDS agency 0.96 
			 Worcester, Whittington Road—Major refurbishments 2.25 
			 London, Ashdown House—Major refurbishments 4.39 
		
	
	Spend in the period 2005-08 period also includes circa £40 million value of projects currently in progress.

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2007,  Official Report, column 34W, on departmental official hospitality, when he expects the list of hospitality received by senior civil servants in his Department in 2007 to be published.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Edward Miliband) gave him on 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 885W.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows details of performance bonuses awarded to staff in DEFRA in each financial year since November 2004. Data prior to November 2004, is only available at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Period  Number of staff awarded bonuses  Proportion of workforce (Percentage)  Highest bonus paid (£) 
			 November 2004 - March 2005 (1)513 6.7 7,616 
			 April 2005 - March 2006 (2)3,535 44.9 (3)12,000 
			 April 2006 - March 2007 (2)2,239 37.3 15,147 
			 April 2007 - March 2008 (2)1.818 36.9 15,640 
			 (1) This figure includes in-year performance bonuses only, which are paid to staff at grade 6 and below. (2) These figures includes annual performance bonuses paid to staff in the SCS and at grade 6 and below. It also includes in-year performance bonuses paid to staff at grade 6 and below. (3) The figure quoted represents the highest bonus paid to a permanent member of staff. However, a higher bonus award of £34,040 was paid as an exceptional one-off circumstance, to a fixed-term appointee, as part of their contractual provisions. 
		
	
	The data covers annual performance bonuses paid to SCS and annual and in-year performance bonuses paid to staff in core-DEFRA and those Executive Agencies covered by the core-Department's terms and conditions (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Government Decontamination Service and Pesticides Safety Directorate (who merged with the HSE on 1 April 2008).
	Separate performance bonus arrangements operate for staff in the SCS and those at grade 6 and below.
	 For the SCS
	Non-consolidated cash payments, otherwise known as bonuses, are used to reward in-year performance in relation to agreed objectives, or short-term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Bonuses are paid addition to base pay increase and do not count towards pension.
	Bonuses are allocated by departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the SSRB recommendations. The intention is that the bonus decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.
	The Department has limited discretion in the application of the policy, as the criteria for the operation of the arrangements is determined centrally by the Cabinet Office.
	 For staff at grade 6 and below
	The High Performance Bonus schemes introduced in April 2005, provide staff in core-DEFRA and those Agencies covered by the core-Departments pay arrangements (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Government Decontamination Service), with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations.
	The process should provide staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn a bonus, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem.
	These are two types of award:
	In-year high performance bonuses paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual high performance bonuses, which are paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers in each DG for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.

Geographical Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts produced by his Department's representative at the conference on GIS in the public sector held in London on 14 May 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The presentation made by DEFRA at the GIS in the Public Sector conference on the 14 May was part of a joint presentation with the Local Government Association. A more up-to-date presentation from DEFRA—'Seeing the bigger picture: Mapping out a vision of INSPIRE'—was made at the European Commission's INSPIRE Conference held in Slovenia from 23 to 25 June. It is publicly available on the conference website at:
	http://www.ec-gis.org/Workshops/inspire_2008/presentations/06_02_watson.pdf.
	The vision for implementing INSPIRE is still in the process of being updated.

Nature Conservation: Finance

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on wildlife management and conservation in each of the last five years, broken down by main budget heading.

Joan Ruddock: Expenditure on UK Biodiversity forms one of the suite of indicators which DEFRA publishes on behalf of the UK Biodiversity Partnership in 'Biodiversity Indicators in your pocket'. Available information based on that underpinning the indicator is provided in the following table. The figures represent programme spend only and do not capture staff costs in non-departmental public bodies funded by the Department through grant-in-aid. Staff in these organisations also contribute significantly to wildlife management and conservation through their various activities, including for example, provision of advice. Furthermore, a number of other programmes have also contributed approximately £10 million per annum to the total budget.
	DEFRA's expenditure on biodiversity has approximately doubled in real terms over the last five years. The majority of this comes from agri-environment expenditure. £3.9 billion of agri-environment funding has been secured for England for the period 2007-13, much of which will be targeted at biodiversity. Other contributions also arise from other organisations such as the Royal Botanical Gardens—Kew, who for example, will receive £17.6 million in grant-in-aid this year.
	
		
			  Public sector expenditure on biodiversity schemes 
			  current prices, £ million( 1) 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( p)  2008-09 (budget)( 2) 
			  DEFRA   
			 Agri-Environment Schemes(3)   
			 ESA/CSS(4) 129.8 167.8 187.2 170.3 145.3 130.0 
			 Environmental Stewardship — — — 84.3 180.9 250.0 
			
			 Darwin Initiative(5) 4.0 5.0 7.0 7.7 9.4 4.8 
			
			 Environment Agency 4.0 6.1 10.8 11.9 7.6 (6)7.6 
			  of which:   
			 estimated expenditure in England(7) 3.4 5.2 9.2 10.1 6.5 (6)6.5 
			
			 Forestry Commission England 14.4 14.7 17.7 22.8 28.1 n/a 
			
			 Natural England(8) 57.2 55.5 57.3 54.1 51.7 (6)51.7 
			
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee(9) 1.2 1.4 1.8 1.8 2.1 (6)2.1 
			
			 DEFRA family total (programme/grant spending)(10) 210.0 249.6 280.2 351.2 423.9 466.6 
			 n/a = Data not yet available. (1) The estimates cover DEFRA family non-administration expenditure related to biodiversity in England and globally. (2) Where data is provided for 2007-08 and the 2008-09 budget was not available, the 2007-08 estimate has been carried forward. (3) This represents total scheme expenditure, of which a major share is judged to be spent on biodiversity schemes. (4) Environmentally sensitive areas and countryside stewardship schemes. (5) Darwin initiative budget has been reduced in 2008-09 to balance overspend in 2007-08. (6) Data is provisional or has been assumed to be carried forward. (7) Based on DEFRA share of grant-in-aid expenditure on environmental protection. (8) The Natural England contribution to JNCC has been excluded to avoid duplication. (9) Expenditure shown is based on the income contribution from DEFRA and Natural England as a proportion of total income. (10) See note 3. Note that Forestry Commission expenditure includes both grant aid to woodland owners and expenditure on the public forest estate.

Shellfish

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  who has powers to close shellfish waters to fishing on grounds of pollution or toxicity levels;
	(2)  what steps his Department takes to prevent shellfish from  (a) British and  (b) other waters being marketed when affected by radioactivity or other pollution.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	Food business operators are responsible for placing safe food on the market.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the competent authority for food safety, and is responsible for designating and classifying shellfish beds and ensuring that these areas are monitored for microbiological contamination and the presence of marine biotoxins in accordance with the relevant food safety legislation. In England and Wales this monitoring is undertaken by local enforcement authorities. Delegated powers are conferred on local enforcement authorities to close shellfish beds when monitoring results exceed specified legal limits.
	The FSA also carries out a comprehensive monitoring programme around United Kingdom nuclear sites and further a field to ensure the safety of seafood from radioactive pollution. For shellfish from other waters, the port health authorities have the powers to sample shellfish (and other foods) for radioactive pollution and prohibit their placing on the market in the UK, if appropriate.
	Subject to ministerial approval, the FSA may also issue Emergency Closure Orders under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1995 to close shellfish beds due to toxicity or pollution levels.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Environment Protection

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the preservation of heathland on Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Joan Ruddock: Our policy for heathland on Sites of Special Scientific Interest is to avoid any loss of extent, to maintain the condition of those areas in favourable condition and to improve condition in those areas that are currently unfavourable.
	We are on course to meet the PSA target of 95 per cent. of SSSIs in favourable or recovering condition by 2010. The current figure for heathland SSSIs is 79.2 per cent.

Burglary: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries were reported in each police authority area in Wales in each year since 1997; and how many convictions for burglary were obtained in each authority area in each of those years.

Vernon Coaker: Statistics on the number of recorded offences of burglary in Wales for the years 1997 to 2006-07 are given in Tables 1-3.
	Statistics on the number of defendants found guilty at all courts in Wales for burglary for the years 1997 to 2006 are provided in Table 4. Information for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	The figures given in Table 4 relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Caution must be used when looking at recorded crime statistics and convictions statistics as these are from two different databases and recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data is provided on a financial year basis and counts offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1 Offences of burglary recorded by the police in Wales, 1997 
			  Police force area  Number of offences 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,590 
			 Gwent 9,154 
			 North Wales 7,554 
			 South Wales 27,147 
			 Wales 46,445 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Offences of burglary recorded by the police in Wales, 1998-99 to 2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,615 2,072 1,489 2,122 
			 Gwent 8,416 7,656 6,899 6,169 
			 North Wales 7,226 6,892 7,197 7,368 
			 South Wales 23,684 20,144 16,765 16,549 
			 Wales 41,941 36,764 32,350 32,208 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 Offences of burglary recorded by the police in Wales, 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  2002-03  2003-4  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,104 2,703 2,875 2,240 2,232 
			 Gwent 7,586 7,541 6,520 5,999 5,740 
			 North Wales 8,534 7,301 5,008 4,471 4,565 
			 South Wales 18,615 17,127 14,873 13,608 14,237 
			 Wales 36,839 34,672 29,276 26,318 26,774 
			  Note: 1. The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for burglary by police force area, Wales 1997-2006( 1, 2) 
			  Number of defendants found guilty 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Dyfed-Powys 335 325 268 219 222 220 198 157 147 163 
			 Gwent 426 431 416 334 371 394 344 345 273 306 
			 North Wales 411 437 382 353 353 335 338 315 275 283 
			 South Wales 888 987 883 789 694 806 708 664 584 621 
			 Wales 2,060 2,180 1,949 1,695 1,640 1,755 1,588 1,481 1,279 1,373 
			  Notes: 1 These data are on the principal offence basis. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Court proceedings database—Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Fraud: Crime Prevention

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent combating fraud is a national policing priority; and whether she plans to alter the level of national priority currently accorded to combating fraud.

Vernon Coaker: The Government take all forms of fraud seriously which is why it has allocated £29 million over the next three years to implement the recommendations of the fraud review. Some of this funding will be directed towards enhancing the police response to fraud by giving the City of London police a national lead role in fraud investigation. The force already receives additional Government and Corporation of London funding to perform a lead force role across the South East and this further funding will enable the force to expand its Economic Crime Department and take on the investigation of serious and complex frauds across the country. The force will also establish a centre of excellence which will provide best practice advice to other forces around the country.
	The Home Secretary sets strategic priorities for the police service each year to inform police planning. Last year, these were included in the National Community Safety Plan. Combating fraud is one aspect of the priority on serious and organised crime. We will keep this under review.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the victims of trafficking found during Operation Pentameter II were found outside city centres.

Vernon Coaker: Information on location of victims was not collected under Operation Pentameter 2 in a way that defined city centres as geographically separate from the cities themselves.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of human trafficking were found in  (a) residential properties and  (b) massage parlours and saunas raided under Operation Pentameter II.

Vernon Coaker: A total of 167 victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation were recovered under Operation Pentameter 2 from a number of properties including residences and massage parlours.
	The precise numbers found in each type of property is not held centrally.

Human Trafficking: Arrests

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested under Operation Pentameter II have been  (a) charged and  (b) convicted of human trafficking offences.

Vernon Coaker: As at May 2008 a total of 71 people arrested under Operation Pentameter 2 had been charged with offences under the dedicated human trafficking legislation. These cases are currently at different stages of the criminal justice process.

Human Trafficking: Arrests

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were arrested during Operation Pentameter II.

Vernon Coaker: 528.

Human Trafficking: Children

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the children found as a result of Operation Pentameter II have  (a) been provided with safe house accommodation and  (b) gone missing since being rescued.

Vernon Coaker: It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to assess the needs of all separated children at risk of harm and in need of accommodation. It is their responsibility to provide suitable accommodation, following this assessment, ensuring that they are safeguarded and their welfare promoted under the provisions of the Children Act 1989.
	We understand from the police that Operation Pentameter 2 identified 16 children, 13 of whom had been trafficked for sexual exploitation and three for forced labour.
	All were appropriately referred to local authorities. We understand from the police that one has absconded.

Human Trafficking: Repatriation

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the adult victims of trafficking found under Operation Pentameter II have been returned to their country of origin.

Vernon Coaker: Under Pentameter 2, forty-eight individuals identified as victims of trafficking by the police have returned to their country of origin.

Robbery: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of  (a) robbery and  (b) drug offences there were in each police authority area in Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information relates to the number of recorded robbery and drug offences and is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1 Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Wales, 1997 
			   Number of offences 
			 Dyfed-Powys 34 
			 Gwent 156 
			 North Wales 112 
			 South Wales 509 
			 Wales 811 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Wales, 1998-99—2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Dyfed-Powys 42 28 20 26 
			 Gwent 173 216 242 215 
			 North Wales 127 146 158 194 
			 South Wales 511 519 460 595 
			 Wales 853 909 880 1,030 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Wales, 2002-03—2006-07 
			  Number of offences 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Dyfed-Powys 40 54 41 40 47 
			 Gwent 329 274 351 316 282 
			 North Wales 224 201 149 150 134 
			 South Wales 784 751 543 631 891 
			 Wales 1,377 1,280 1,084 1,137 1,354 
			 Note: 1. The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 Drug offences recorded by the police in Wales, 1997( 1) 
			   Number of offences 
			 Dyfed-Powys 374 
			 Gwent 389 
			 North Wales 238 
			 South Wales 525 
			 Wales 1,526 
			 (1). Figures for 1997 are for drug trafficking only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5 Drug offences recorded by the police in Wales, 1998-99—2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,483 2,030 1,273 2,407 
			 Gwent 2,447 2,214 2,196 1,729 
			 North Wales 1,885 1,586 1,421 1,382 
			 South Wales 2,934 2,690 3,039 3,907 
			 Wales 9,749 8,520 7,929 9,425 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6 Drug offences recorded by the police in Wales, 2002-03—2006-07 
			  Number of offences 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,978 2,420 2,327 2,495 2,484 
			 Gwent 1,585 1,422 1,332 1,412 1,888 
			 North Wales 1,830 1,830 1,833 2,108 2,105 
			 South Wales 3,872 3,837 3,705 3,483 4,051 
			 Wales 10,265 9,509 9,197 9,498 10,528 
			  Note: 1. The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Community Development: Wales

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she had with her counterparts in the Welsh Assembly Government on initiatives announced in the White Paper, Communities in Control, Cm 7427, prior to its finalisation for publication.

Parmjit Dhanda: Chapter 1 of 'Communities in control: real people, real power' explains that the policies in the White Paper largely cover England only (paragraph 1.57). We will engage with all devolved administrations on implementation, issue by issue.

Departmental Film

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 263-4W, on departmental film, if she will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the film about the work of the Department and  (b) the PowerPoint presentation, One year on (Celebrating success and looking to the future).

Parmjit Dhanda: I have placed a copy of the two films in the Library.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what IT contracts her Departments and its agencies have entered into in the last two years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has awarded the following contracts for IT in the last two financial years. Please note that this list is not exhaustive; it does not, for instance, cover contracts awarded for under £20,000. Details of all IT contracts are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Local Government Statistics—Data Upload to website
	IT Outsourcing Project (ITSOP) Business Case Mgr Support
	Floor Targets Interactive—User Needs Survey
	Thames Gateway—Support for Project Mgt System
	Planning Portal—Application Form Project
	Home Information Pack Programme (HIP)—Home Condition Report Register—Database and Portal
	XML Schemas development
	Transactional ERDF and State aid project (TESA)—Major Variation to Systems Integrator Contract
	Planning Portal—Building control Content Integration
	Revenue Support Grant—Future Payment Platform—Business Analyst
	HIP Programme—HCR Delivery Manager
	ITSOP Decoupling
	Maps on Tap (MOT)—Implementation Review
	Fire incident recording system (FIRS)—Develop call logging software for Helpdesk
	ITSOP—IT Operations Study
	Planning Portal—Services Product Plans
	Planning Portal—Project Manager
	HIP—HCR Register—Senior Requirements Analyst
	BMESpark Website Extension
	Communities' ICT Provision—Service Level Manager—Contract A
	Communities' ICT Provision Service Level Manager—Contract B
	Training for the Fire Service Emergency Cover (FSEC) Toolkit
	(Grants Payments System) LOGASNet Migration software licence
	Homes Employment and Mobility Service Project (HEMS) Website Testing
	Planning Portal Contract—Fixed Price Extension
	RPD National Capability Survey (NCS) Geo-database project
	Database & Assoc Applications Technical Manager
	ITSOP Internet Circuit Bardon Voice ISDN 30 for Eland House
	Thames Gateway—PMS Project Leader
	TESA Website
	Planning Portal—1APP—Technical support
	LOGASNet—Major enhancement contract
	ITSOP Test Assurance Manager
	Floor Targets Interactive (FTI) Business Case
	TESA Process Consultant
	Web Hosting and Internet Access
	Planning Portal—NAPCOL Hosting Agreement
	ITSOP—Business Case Support
	Government Connect (GC)—Technical Advisers
	FIRE CONTROL—MIS Solution
	ITSOP—Support for MAN De-coupling
	FTI—Re-development
	Communities' ICT Provision—Technical Architect
	Planning Portal—Planning Apps Database feasibility study
	ITSOP Programme Coordinator
	Planning Portal—Forms Team Leader
	ITSOP ISDN2e at Temple Quay, Bristol—backup for MPLS
	ITSOP Test Assurance Manager
	Open Space Works—Circuits
	Places/State of the Cities Database Support and Mtce
	Communities' ICT Provision Service Level Manager
	MOT—Implementation Review—Primary Recommendation
	Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI)—Data Upload to BVPI Website
	ITSOP Deputy PM
	Tenancy Deposit Scheme—Systems Testing Role A
	Tenancy Deposit Scheme—Systems Testing Role B
	Planning Portal—Hosting Maintenance and support Services Extension
	Website Rationalisation Project (WEBRAP)—Additional Project Management resource
	System and collection of operational fire statistics
	Fixed 8Meg Link to Communities' staff in Titchfield NHPAU
	Planning Portal—e-Consultation Business Case Developer
	Planning Portal—LPA Monitoring Assignment
	Planning Portal—Technical Form Support (Product and Maintenance)
	Planning Portal—Datasets Consultant
	Planning Portal Planning 360
	Planning Portal—Business Case Development for e-Consultation programme
	ICTD Service Level Manager
	RSG Security Assurance and PEN Testing of Logasnet
	ITSOP Performance Review
	ITSOP Performance Review
	Planning Portal—XML Development expert
	Supporting People—Project Resource Agreement
	Supporting People—Project Resource Agreement
	Preventing Extremism Unit Stakeholder Database Requirements analyst
	Corporate IT Support Manager
	Thames Gateway Delivery Unit (TGDU) Data Analyst Role
	TGDU—Support for PMS
	Communities' LINK Upgrade—Project manager
	Thames Gateway Project Manager
	CLASS Support Contract
	GIS—DSI Greenspace Phase 2
	Communities' LINK IT Upgrade—Project Assurance Manager
	Deprivation Index Mapping Tool
	Places Database—Interim 1 Year SLA for support and maintenance
	TGDU Data Analyst
	TGDU Programme Systems Executive
	PP eConsultation Development Project Manager
	Planning Portal Adobe Forms Development
	Data Interchange Hub
	GIS Training
	National Register of Social Housing—Database Programmer
	FIRS—Tech QA—XML Schema—Renewal
	Data Interchange Hub—Project Manager
	TESA Website—Modifications
	Planning Portal eConsultation—Tech support
	Planning Portal—Adobe Forms Development for 1-APP
	Planning Portal—Planning 360—Logical Design Requirement
	DIH—Project Administrator
	DSI Intelligent Address Matching
	Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) Technical Support
	Corporate IT Provision—Strategic IT Support
	IT Outsourcing
	CLG Web Hosting
	CLG Web Rationalisation
	National Resilience Extranet.
	The Department agencies have reported the following:
	(a) Fire Service College has only had the following IT contract entered into during the last two years in December 2007 for a Managed Learning System infrastructure and support services.
	(b) Ordnance Survey has let the following contracts:
	Imagery Web Hosting Services
	Customer facing Web based Map Services
	Oracle Professional Services framework
	GIS Development Project
	Electronic Document Record Management solution
	'Outdoor Exploration' Web based portal
	Master Vendor Agency for IT Contractor Resource.
	However details of all their IT contracts could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	(c) Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has let one contract—Meeting Matrix—which is for the purchase and installation of room diagramming and imaging software to facilitate the planning of conference and exhibition events.
	(d) Planning Inspectorate awarded the following IT contracts the last two financial years 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2008 (PQ 4317):
	MS enterprise agreement
	ISS Information Service
	PCS Cardiff WAN Upgrade
	Electronic Business Model
	Programme Manager Software Tool
	IT Security
	GTN Contract
	Collaborative Document Working and Consultation Software/System for RSS
	Technology Refreshment Laptops
	Information Back up Review
	Technology Refreshment Desktop PCs.

Departmental Records: Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department's lost laptop held in relation to the Planning Bill.

Parmjit Dhanda: A desk top computer was stolen from my right hon. Friend's constituency office. The matter is now subject to a police investigation.

Departmental Responsibilities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many reviews of regulation her Department and its agencies has conducted or commenced since July 2007; and in which areas.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since July 2007 the Department has reviewed 20 specific pieces of regulations covering Building Regulations, Fire, Housing, Local Government and Planning. We are also putting in place arrangements for the timely review of our Bills and Acts in line with "Post Legislative Scrutiny: the Government's Approach" published in May 2008. The new impact assessment process introduced in May 2007, also places increased emphasis on the post implementation review of our policies.

Departmental Wastes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to reduce the volume of waste produced by it and sent to landfill in each of the last two years.

Parmjit Dhanda: Communities and Local Government has taken numerous steps over the last two years to reduce its volume of general waste produced and sent for incineration. The measures taken have included:
	Reducing the number personal general waste bins, to encourage staff to produce less waste and to dispose of recyclable materials in the appropriate facilities provided.
	In headquarter buildings, plastic bottle recycling has been replaced by a system of 'total plastics recycling' enabling all common plastic polymers to be recycled, not just those used for bottles.
	Introducing mobile phone and waste electronic and electrical equipment recycling systems, in addition to the standard recycling provisions such as paper, cardboard, glass and cans.
	Organic waste recycling was also extended, enabling staff to compost waste in tea points of HQ buildings. This facility is also provided in kitchens and restaurant areas.
	The number of printers has also been reduced to encourage less printing.
	Communications campaigns are run at various intervals to remind staff to recycle; this has included focusing on avoiding the use of single use plastic bags and holding a 'Sustainability Month' during which staff were reminded to make full use of recycling facilities provided.
	An environmental champions network has been established comprising staff volunteers who encourage their colleagues to foster more sustainable practices in the office, such as reducing waste production and recycling more.
	Plastic food containers in staff restaurants have been replaced with biodegradable alternatives.
	Major office furniture replacement projects have included ensuring redundant office furniture is disposed of by Green Works. Green works is a not for profit social enterprise which redirects second hand furniture to third sector organisations such as schools and charities. The replacement office furniture has been selected ensuring a high level of reuse and recyclability to enable future general waste levels to be minimised.
	Communities also relaunched its reusable water bottling scheme in its main HQ building. Instead of buying mineral water in glass bottles, the Department bottles filtered tap water on site in reusable glass bottles. This not only minimises waste but, similar to many sustainable waste solutions, reduces carbon dioxide emissions associated with waste treatment and transportation.
	The Department will continue to identify further waste solutions to improve its future performance.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has provided for the digital television initiatives in Kirklees, Hull and Glasgow referred to in the minutes of the Emerging Technologies Group meeting of 27 February 2008.

Iain Wright: In total, £3,768,000 of funding was provided to develop the Kirklees initiative, which formed part of the local e-government programme. This initiative is now entirely self-sustaining and no longer relies on funding from Central Government.
	The Kingston Upon Hull project has been allocated £30,000 from the overall award which was made to the runners-up in the Department's 2007 Digital Challenge competition to enable them to develop their key projects.
	CLG has no responsibility for the Glasgow digital television initiative.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the cost, including VAT, of all consultants' fees for the FiReControl project for the duration of the project.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 8 July 2008
	To the end of June 2008 the cost of consultancy services for the FiReControl project totalled £38.6 million (inclusive of VAT). Communities and Local Government estimate that future costs will be £16.9 million (inclusive of VAT).

Housing: Construction

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what target has been set for house building in  (a) North Northamptonshire and  (b) England in the period to 2021; and what assessment she has made of progress towards these targets.

Iain Wright: Housing targets below national level are not set directly by Government, but are set out in regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks which are developed through the regional and local planning processes. The 2007 Green Paper Homes for the Future: more affordable, more sustainable (Cm7191), copies of which are in the Library, sets out the Government's long-term objectives in terms of housing supply.

Housing: Construction

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will issue guidance to local authorities on the provision of short-term supply of land within their control for housing in the event of numbers of new housing starts falling; and whether the number of new housing starts in an area should be a material consideration in planning appeals relating to possible sites for new houses.

Iain Wright: Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing (PPS3) requires local planning authorities to identify sufficient specific, deliverable, sites to deliver housing in the first five years, as part of a 15 year plan period horizon. The policy advises how local planning authorities need to regularly monitor housing performance against trajectory and that in circumstances where market conditions have changed, local authorities may find it necessary to reassess need and demand, considering a review of approach across the whole market area. PPS3, including those policies relating to whether the local authority has an up to date five year supply of deliverable sites, is capable of being taken into account by local planning authorities, the Planning Inspectorate Agency or other relevant decision maker, in determining planning applications.

Local Government Ombudsman: Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward legislative proposals to remove exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act 2000 of the Local Government Ombudsman under Sections 32 and 44 of the Local Government Act 1974; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: There are no plans to remove the exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act that currently apply to the Local Government Ombudsman. The removal of such exemptions could deter people suffering injustice due to a council's maladministration from raising the matter with the ombudsman and hence obtaining redress.
	It is the policy of the Local Government Ombudsman to operate as openly as possible without putting at risk their investigations and the service they provide for the public.

Planning Permission: Rural Areas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to reduce the average time taken to grant planning permission for employment purposes in rural areas.

Iain Wright: All local planning authorities, including those in rural areas, have targets within which to determine planning applications (60 per cent. within 13 weeks for major applications, 65 per cent. and 80 per cent. within eight weeks for minors and others). Authorities have been steadily improving their performance to meet these targets; recent data shows that 84 per cent. of authorities met all three key performance targets over the year April 2007 to March 2008.

Social Conditions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition her Department uses of a poor quality environment for the purposes of measuring progress against her Department's liveability performance indicator.

Iain Wright: For the purposes of the Department's liveability performance indicator, a 'poor quality environment' is defined as one assessed to have 'major' or 'significant' problems in any of 16 environmental problems. The assessments are carried out by professional surveyors as part of the English House Condition Survey and are based on observed problems in the immediate environment of households, in some cases verified by residents. Problems are assessed on a scale of 1 ('no problems') to 5 ('major problems'), with scores of 4 and 5 corresponding with 'major' or 'significant'. The 16 specific environmental problems are:
	ambient air quality;
	condition of dwellings;
	dog or other excrement;
	graffiti;
	heavy traffic;
	intrusion from motorways/arterial roads;
	intrusive industry;
	litter and rubbish dumping;
	non-conforming uses;
	nuisance from street parking;
	railway/aircraft noise;
	scruffy gardens;
	scruffy/neglected buildings;
	vacant sites;
	vacant/boarded up buildings;
	vandalism.

Business: Rural Areas

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many recommendations in the Commission for Rural Communities report, England's rural areas: steps to release their economic potential, within his Department's areas of responsibility his Department intends to implement; and if he will provide a timetable for implementation.

Patrick McFadden: The Rural Advocate's Report, commissioned by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, illustrates the contribution made by businesses in rural areas to the national economy. It highlights the relevance of activity across all levels of Government and by the private sector. The recommendations within the report are, therefore, very broadly targeted. The Department is working with other Government Departments and the RDAs in considering how best to respond to its recommendations.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what IT contracts his Department and its agencies have entered into in the last two years.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) on 5 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 2653-54W. The contracts listed in this answer remain unchanged and were all let in the last two years.
	I have approached the Chief Executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 14 July 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of the Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2007/3220) asking what IT contracts his Department and its agencies have entered into the last two years.
	The IT contracts have entered in the last two years is recorded under the table below:
	
		
			  IT Contracts  Contractor  Year of contract  Expiry of contract 
			 IT Desk Top Services/Infrastructure IBM 2007 2012 
			 IT Application Support Service Ace Database 2005 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Singularity (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2010+ 
			 IT Product Licences Agresso (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2008 2010 
			 IT Product Licences Thunderhead (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2008 Ongoing 
			 IT Product Licences Wisdom (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Business Objects (subcontractor to Computacenter 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Parasoft 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Wisdom (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Business Objects(sub-contractor to Computacenter 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Parasoft 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Condeco 2008 2011 
			 IT Product Licences Parity 2007 2008 
			 IT Product Licences Serena 2006 2008 
			 IT Product Licences Wisdom (sub-contractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Microsoft/Trustmarque 2007 2010 
			 IT Product Licences C&C Technology 2006 2008 
			 IT Product Licences/hardware BT 2007 2008 
		
	
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 14 July 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Since April 2006 Companies House has entered into the following IT contracts:
	Software Support Services for the Image Database
	Finance Systems Managed Service
	Mainframe Bureau Services and Print and Output Handling
	Multi-vendor Hardware Maintenance Services
	Network Support Services
	WAN Replacement and Support Services

Departmental Sick Leave

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many days of sick leave were taken by his Department's employees in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: Cabinet Office has introduced a revised format for reporting sickness absence statistics across the civil service. The new format was introduced at the end of March 2008 and the first report covers the calendar year 2007. It indicates 6.1 average working days lost per employee lost due to sickness.
	Sickness absence data for the Department's predecessor, the Department of Trade and Industry, for 2006-07, 2005 and 2004, including the average number of days taken as sick leave, is published on the public civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp
	along with data for other Departments and agencies.
	Earlier sickness data is not readily available and the cost of producing this would be disproportionate to the benefit to be derived.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Individuals and their line managers identify learning and development needs, and the appropriate training to attend, over the course of the year. Individuals can then access a variety of interventions to meet their requirements either through the Departments preferred suppliers or through other suppliers if the required training is not available. Details are not held centrally as learning and development is devolved across the Department.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many complaints have been received by local trading standards bodies about non-surgical laser and intense pulsed light treatments in the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Consumer contact with Local Authority Trading Standards Services has been handled by the Government funded Consumer Direct telephone and online advice service since June 2004. Before this time contacts were made direct to the 205 local authorities and are not readily available or collected by BERR.
	Contacts recorded against the categories of hair removal therapy; beauty treatments; cosmetic therapies; hair replacement therapies and the term "laser" identifies 199 contacts since June 2004. A contact may be a complaint or could be a request for other information such as pre-shopping advice. Consumer direct does not specifically record contacts regarding non-surgical laser and intense pulsed light treatments.

Street Trading: Regulation

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what consideration he has made of introducing a public bill with generally applicable provisions analogous to those in the Leeds City Council Bill and other similar private bills.

Gareth Thomas: I am aware that several local authorities, including Leeds city council, are pursuing Private Bills seeking to extend their powers in relation to the control of street trading and to limit the activities of certified pedlars, and that some seven local authorities have already done so.
	This Department is in the process of undertaking research to better establish evidence about the effectiveness of current legislation in this area and to gather views from all stakeholder groups with an interest. This will enable us to better assess whether there is a case for national legislation to provide all local authorities with additional powers along the lines of the Private Bills and Acts; and to decide the best way forward that balances the interests of business, consumers and pedlars.

Sports: Commonwealth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he  (a) has recently taken and  (b) plans to take to improve sporting links between the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are a number of recent initiatives and planned activities, primarily delivered through bodies such as UK Sport and the British Council, designed to improve sporting links between the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.
	UK Sport currently supports sport development projects and programmes which foster school links through sport in 21 Commonwealth countries and plans to work in one further Commonwealth country. UK Sport works in conjunction with the British Council and UNICEF to deliver the international inspiration project to inspire young people in developing countries and communities to take part in sport.
	In addition Dreams + Teams is an initiative to promote Youth Leadership and School Links through sport. Dreams + Teams currently operate in the Commonwealth countries (as shown in the table). We anticipate that much of the work on Dreams + Teams will be absorbed in to International Inspiration and Premier Skills (a joint development project between the British Council and the Premier League) over the next two years.
	UK Sport hosted the Next Step Conference, empowering young sports leaders to champion the Olympic values of friendship and fair play, in Namibia in 2007 where 19 Commonwealth countries were represented.
	Representatives from 67 of the 71 Commonwealth Games Associations attended the Commonwealth Sports Development Conference in Glasgow in June 2008 focusing on how sport and development initiatives can raise levels of grass-roots participation and create pathways to excellence both here in the UK and in the developing world, and was hosted by Culture and Sport Glasgow with support from Glasgow city council.
	UK Sport and the Commonwealth Games Federation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2007 for a four year period to develop and broaden the relationship between the two organizations. Additionally, Sue Campbell, Chair of UK Sport, is also Chair of Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) which was established in 2005 to promote the value of sport as a tool for social, economic, health and educational development. Its advocacy work is directed primarily at the Commonwealth governments through their Ministers of Sport, the Commonwealth secretariat and other key policy-makers.
	
		
			  Countries where UK Sport International Development Programmes and British Council Dreams + Teams programmes are currently working 
			   Country  UK Sport International Development Programmes  Dreams + Teams 
			 1 Botswana yes yes 
			 2 Cameroon yes yes 
			 3 Ghana — yes 
			 4 India yes yes 
			 5 Kenya yes yes 
			 6 Lesotho yes — 
			 7 Malawi yes yes 
			 8 Malaysia — yes 
			 9 Mauritius — yes 
			 10 Mozambique — yes 
			 11 Namibia yes yes 
			 12 Nigeria yes yes 
			 13 Pakistan — yes 
			 14 Sierra Leone — yes 
			 15 Singapore — yes 
			 16 South Africa yes yes 
			 17 Sri Lanka — yes 
			 18 Tanzania yes yes 
			 19 Trinidad and Tobago — yes 
			 20 Uganda — yes 
			 21 Zambia yes yes 
			  Bangladesh (1)— — 
			 (1) There are plans in place to extend work to Bangladesh.

Strip Clubs

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1375W, on strip clubs, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, how many licensable activities have been carried out under the Licensing Act 2003; and what activities are included in that category.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the number of licences and certificates in force on 31 March 2007 in England and Wales which permitted regulated entertainment. This shows responses from 68 per cent. of licensing authorities. Around 53 per cent. of licensing authorities provided the further break down by type of permitted regulated entertainment.
	
		
			   Total  Percentage of entertainment licences  Percentage of all licences 
			 Premises licences 162,053 — 100 
			 
			 Premises licences with any regulated entertainment 72,643 100 45 
			 Plays 8,798 12 5 
			 Films 15,296 21 9 
			 Indoor sporting events 13,119 18 8 
			 Boxing or wrestling 1,692 2 1 
			 Live music 38,096 52 24 
			 Recorded music 48,977 67 30 
			 Performance of dance 21,622 30 13 
			 Entertainment similar to live music, recorded music or dance 18,953 26 12 
			 Facilities for making music 23,864 33 15 
			 Facilities for dancing 26,919 37 17 
			 Facilities for entertainment similar to making music or dancing 14,579 20 9 
			 
			 Club premises certificates 15,187 — 100 
			 
			 Club premises certificates with any regulated entertainment 9,100 100 60 
			 Plays 1,257 14 8 
			 Films 1,708 19 11 
			 Indoor sporting events 2,895 32 19 
			 Boxing or wrestling 341 4 2 
			 Live music 5,548 61 37 
			 Recorded music 5,953 65 39 
			 Performance of dance 2,742 30 18 
			 Entertainment similar to live music, recorded music or dance 2,202 24 14 
			 Facilities for making music 2,944 32 19 
			 Facilities for dancing 4,637 51 31 
			 Facilities for entertainment similar to making music or dancing 1,893 21 12 
			  Note: Multiple activities can apply to a particular premises. 
		
	
	Entertainment is regulated by the Act if it includes the performance of live music or dance, recorded music or entertainment comparable to these activities. It must be available to the public or members and guests of a qualifying club (whether a charge is made or not), or to a private audience if there is a charge with a view to making a profit.
	Premises offering entertainment in the form of striptease or similar dancing must, therefore, apply for a licence to cater for the performance of dance (or entertainment of similar description), live or recorded music and, if it has a bar, alcohol sales.

Aircraft Carriers

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the through life cost of powering the new aircraft carriers with  (a) conventional gas turbine/diesel engines and  (b) nuclear reactor plants;
	(2)  what studies his Department has undertaken on suitability of nuclear reactor power for the new aircraft carriers.

Bob Ainsworth: The through life cost of powering the Future Aircraft Carriers with a combination of conventional gas turbines and diesel engines was considered during the assessment and demonstration phases of the project and selected as the preferred option for manufacture. On nuclear reactor plants, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 255W, and on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 304W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

Armed Forces: Disability Living Allowance

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) service personnel and  (b) veterans are (i) waiting for and (ii) in redress of disability allowances being offered.

Derek Twigg: The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) administers two schemes under which disability allowances may become payable—the armed forces compensation scheme (AFCS) and the war pension scheme (WPS). In the
	case of AFCS ongoing disability allowances are payable to the most seriously injured and this payment becomes due on discharge. Therefore there are no such claims for ongoing disability allowances outstanding for serving personnel. However the majority of awards comprise of a lump sum payment which may be paid in service or following service depending on when the individual decides to make a claim. WPS claims are always made and awarded following discharge.
	SPVA records show that at 31 March 2008 the number of claims of disability related payments, in the process of consideration, against each scheme was 1,292 for serving personnel and veterans under AFCS and 7,238 for veterans under WPS. This does not constitute a backlog as the claims are at various stages of consideration in line with the normal procedures. In considering claims under both schemes medical evidence of the condition(s) claimed, prognosis for recovery or enduring disability and evidence of the link to service is required. Depending on the complexity and needs of the individual cases, gaining sufficient information in order to properly inform the correct decision can take a varying amount of time.
	With regard to the number of claims under redress both schemes offer an appeals process which utilises the independent Pension Appeal Tribunals (administered by the Ministry of Justice). Personnel may decide to appeal for a number of reasons such as the availability of additional information or because they disagree with any aspect of the decision made. The number of appeals currently in progress is 102 for AFCS and 565 for WPS.

Exservicemen: Pensions

Michael Mates: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Government will offer ex-servicemen who retired from the armed forces before 31 March 1973 the opportunity of buying their wives a forces family widows pension at half-rate on an actuarially calculated, no cost basis.

Derek Twigg: No. It would be difficult, in equity, to extend the half rate pension to widows whose husbands had left the service before 31 March 1973 because they had not contributed financially towards the improvement. It has also been the long-standing policy of successive governments that discretionary changes to improve the benefits offered by public service pensions schemes should be implemented for future service only.

Home Information Packs

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many home information packs have been commissioned by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to market a residential property; for which properties; at what cost; and whether a voluntary home condition report was purchased as part of the packs.

Derek Twigg: This Department has commissioned two Home Information Packs in respect of the disposal of 7 and 9 Ladysmith Road, Ashton-under- Lyne, Greater Manchester at a cost of £250.00 each. No voluntary home condition reports were provided.

Military Bases

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made with  (a) the upgrade of RAF Northolt and  (b) the decommissioning of other sites;
	(2)  how far the London MoDEL project has progressed since it was commenced; what land has been earmarked to be sold under this project; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The upgrade of RAF Northolt and the decommissioning and sale of other sites forms part of Project MoDEL, which is making good progress.
	At Northolt, approximately half of the construction programme has been completed since contract award in August 2006. 11 new facilities have been delivered so far, including: four blocks of Single Living Accommodation (SLA)—250 rooms in total; welfare facilities; office accommodation; a five-bay Hangar; and the new British Forces Post Office (BFPO) facility. The new facilities, not least the SLA blocks, have improved the living and working conditions for personnel at RAF Northolt.
	So far as decommissioning and sales are concerned, six sites across the Greater London area have been designated surplus and are being released as part of Project MoDEL. Of these, RAF Eastcote and RAF West Ruislip have been sold for residential development, releasing funding for development of the Defence estate and other departmental priorities. The former BFPO site at Mill Hill and RAF Bentley Priory closed in January and May 2008 respectively. These two sites will be sold once planning submissions have been agreed by the local planning authorities.
	We are engaging closely with the local planning authority and a number of other organisations and stakeholders to secure the future of Bentley Priory's heritage. A way forward has been agreed and a planning application is currently with the London Borough of Harrow for approval.
	RAF Uxbridge and Victoria House, Woolwich, remain operational at present. At Uxbridge, our contractor is preparing a supplementary planning document for the site for submission to the London borough of Hillingdon, and at Victoria House a planning application for development of the site as a residential care home is currently with the London borough of Greenwich for approval.
	In addition, Chelsea Barracks was sold earlier this year.

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow was of armed forces personnel at RAF Halton in each year since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table gives the inflow and outflow of the armed forces personnel at RAF Halton.
	
		
			  Financial year  Inflow  Outflow 
			 2006-07 240 204 
			 2007-08 213 160 
		
	
	Data before 1 April 2006 is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

RAF St. Athan

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence training personnel have been consulted on proposals for relocation to St. Athan; what the outcome of such consultation has been; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Training Review (DTR) Package 1 Integrated Project Team (IPT) has from the outset routinely consulted the trade unions representing all the civilian employees potentially affected by the proposals stemming from the project. Such meetings, which now include representatives of the Metrix Consortium, take place every three months and provide an informal opportunity to update trade union representatives on project progress and address concerns and questions. Where required the obligations under TUPE (2006) Regulations have been met through more formal consultation and exchanges of information. The approach taken has been as open as commercial considerations allow and has been cited by the trade unions as best practice. The MOD remains committed to continue the consultative process as the project proceeds. Consultation at MOD level is also matched by meetings and briefings that take place within DTR colleges.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much money has been collected by the Child Support Agency from non-resident parents in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997;
	(2)  in respect of how many children child maintenance payments were made in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 15 July 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	and
	For how many children child maintenance payments were made in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.
	Such information as is available is presented in the attached table, which shows both the amount of money collected or arranged and the number of children benefiting from child maintenance since 1997.
	Since the introduction of the Operational Improvement Plan two years ago, the number of children benefiting from maintenance has risen by around 126,000 to over 749,000 children. The Agency also collected or arranged a record breaking £1bn in maintenance in the twelve months to March 2008.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Maintenance Collected or Arranged and Children benefiting from maintenance: 1997  to  2008 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  Great Britain 
			   Money (£000)  Children  Money (£000)  Children  Money (£000)  Children  Money (£000)  Children 
			 1996/97 786 500 1,479 900 21,000 19,200 213,000 324,700 
			 1997/98 817 600 1,753 1,200 25,000 24,200 306,000 394,700 
			 1998/99 1,150 900 2,143 1,500 32,000 30,100 393,000 470,900 
			 1999/2000 1,416 1,100 2,469 1,900 38,000 34,400 461,000 534,100 
			 2000/01 1,490 600 2,623 1,500 43,000 35,300 503,000 543,300 
			 2001/02 1,441 900 2,731 2,000 45,000 36,500 528,000 546,800 
			 2002/03 1,482 700 2,783 2,000 47,000 34,500 573,000 548,100 
			 2003/04 1,439 900 2,505 2,100 41,000 31,900 797,000 537,500 
			 2004/05 1,338 1,000 2,540 2,200 42,000 34,600 798,000 561,100 
			 2005/06 1,302 1,000 2,569 2,400 44,000 36,500 836,000 623,000 
			 2006/07 1,318 1,000 2,524 2,400 45,000 38,900 898,000 (1)683,300 
			 2007/08 1,536 1,400 3,356 2,800 51,000 43,000 1,010,000 (1)749,300 
			 (1) Children figures for Great Britain include receipts on cases progressed clerically for 2006/07 and 2007/08 and do not include performance of cases held clerically by Parliamentary Constituency, Local Authority or region.  Notes: 1. Figures on money are received via the collection service as well as maintenance arranged via maintenance direct agreements. Figures for Great Britain is sourced from General Ledger and figures for Jarrow, South Tyneside and the North East sourced from Management information. 2. Figures on money for Great Britain include receipts on cases progressed clerically. Figures do not include performance of cases held clerically by Parliamentary Constituency, Local Authority or Region. 3. All Great Britain figures on money are for the relevant financial year. Figures for Jarrow, South Tyneside and the North East up to and including 2002/03 are for the 12 months up to February. For 2003/04 onwards, all information is for full financial years. 4. Money collected and arranged has been allocated to Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency, South Tyneside Local Authority and the North East by matching the postcode of the non resident parent against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. 5. Figures on money rounded to the nearest £1,000 for Jarrow and South Tyneside and £1m for North East and Great Britain and children rounded to the nearest 100. 6. Children benefiting are allocated to Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency, South Tyneside Local Authority and the North East by matching the postcode of the parent with care against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. Some movements in the caseload may be down to changes in the postcode directory over time. The reduction in children benefiting between February 2000 and February 2001 in Jarrow is largely due to changes in the postcode directory at this time and is not a real reduction.

Employment: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of all Government employment programmes, excluding Remploy, in each year for which information is available since 1997.

Stephen Timms: There are a range of employment programmes that ensure that people get the support that they need to move back into work.
	The new deal embodied the idea that rights and responsibilities go hand-in-hand. In return for the extra support and opportunities provided, young people were expected to take up jobs and training or see their benefits cut. As we saw this approach working, we extended it to other groups. Together with a stable economy, this has helped take a million people off key out-of-work benefits and cut claimant unemployment by 50 per cent. The latest figures show that the number of people on jobseeker's allowance is 819.3 thousand. This is down 58.1 thousand on the year, and down 800.3 thousand since 1997. The result is we are spending over £5 billion less on key out-of-work benefits.
	At the same time, we have increased employment support by £800 million and been able to increase help to those who simply cannot work. This is good for the individual and for our society as a whole. All the evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty and that by helping people into work, we make sure our economy benefits from making better use of individuals' talent while cutting the welfare bill.
	Information about the cost of employment programmes is in the following table.
	
		
			  Employment programmes excluding Remploy 
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 200 
			 1998-99 322 
			 1999-2000 531 
			 2000-01 557 
			 2001-02 791 
			 2002-03 805 
			 2003-04 919 
			 2004-05 1,044 
			 2005-06 973 
			 2006-07 865 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are in nominal terms. 2. Programmes included are: Employment Zones; Working Neighbourhoods Pilot; External Action Teams; Princes Youth Business Trust; Work Based Learning for Adults; European Social Fund; Jobsearch Provision; Incapacity Benefit Reforms; Ambition; Adviser Discretion Fund; Internal Action Teams; Ethnic Minorities Pilot; New Deals; Work Step; Access to Work; Residential Training Centres; Work Preparation. 3. Not all programmes ran in each year. 4. Information about programme expenditure for Employment Zones, The Prince's Trust, and Working Neighbourhoods is not available prior to 2004-05, and is not included in the figures for earlier years. 5. The figures do not include administration expenditure.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, and Employment Service annual reports.

General Practitioners: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what general practitioner practices within Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust  (a) have agreed extended opening hours and  (b) declined to extend opening hours.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not collected in the requested format. Information is only available for the number of general practitioner (GP) practices offering extended opening. According to the latest data collected in June 2008, there are no GP practices within Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust currently offering extended opening.
	In order to extend GP opening hours £158 million has been provided nationally. The development and location of services are a matter for the national health service locally, based on need and working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders. My hon. Friend may therefore wish to raise this matter locally.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS in-patients contracted  (a) MRSA,  (b) clostridium difficile,  (c) norovirus and  (d) other healthcare-associated infections in each year since 2005;
	(2)  how many in-patients were treated by NHS hospitals for  (a) MRSA,  (b) clostridium difficile and  (c) norovirus in each year since 2005.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally and the best available data are from the mandatory surveillance system operated for the Department by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). These and additional information on norovirus are given as follows.
	All acute national health service trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of bloodstream infections caused by methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
	These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.
	These data are only available by financial year.
	
		
			  April to March each year  Number of cases of bloodstream infections caused by MRSA 
			 2004-05 7,233 
			 2005-06 7,096 
			 2006-07 6,383 
		
	
	All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of  Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile) infection in people aged 65 years and over.
	These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.
	
		
			   Number of cases of C. difficile infection in people aged 65 years and over 
			 2005 51,829 
			 2006 55,636 
		
	
	In April 2007, mandatory surveillance was extended to include all patients aged two years and over. Annual data for patients aged less than 65 years are not yet available.
	The HPA Centre for Infections (CfI) has a voluntary reporting system, General Surveillance of Outbreaks (GSURV) that collects data on outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness.
	The following table gives the number of outbreaks that were reported to be due to norovirus and occurring in hospitals in England and the number of people affected (patients and staff). The reporter has recorded the pathogen as norovirus from positive laboratory specimens.
	
		
			   Number of outbreaks  Number of people affected 
			 2005 58 1,377 
			 2006 50 719 
			 2007 36 499 
			  Note: Many outbreaks that are suspected to be due to viral origin may not have laboratory diagnoses. The number of reported norovirus outbreaks and the number of people affected recorded will, therefore, be considerable underestimates.  Source: HPA CfI GSURV 
		
	
	All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of blood stream infections caused by glycopeptides-resistant enterococci.
	These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.
	These data are available from October to September; they are not available by calendar year.
	
		
			  October to September each year  Number of cases of blood stream infections caused by glycopeptides-resistant enterococci 
			 2004-05 758 
			 2005-06 903 
		
	
	The following data are collected from the mandatory surveillance of surgical site infections (SSIs) in orthopaedic categories in English NHS hospitals. Hospitals carrying out orthopaedic surgery have to participate in the surveillance of at least one category for at least one quarter of the year. All of the SSIs reported are identified during the in-patient period.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Surgical category  Number of operations  Number of SSIs  Number of operations  Number of SSIs  Number of operations  Number of SSIs 
			 Hip prosthesis 16,765 211 21,046 190 25,397 181 
			 Knee prosthesis 15,848 103 22,843 128 25,167 96 
			 Open reduction of long bone fracture 3,277 66 2,774 44 3,678 69 
			 Hip hemiarthroplasty 5,396 219 6,328 230 6,709 211

Human Papilloma Virus

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the decisions  (a) to offer Cervarix and  (b) not to offer Gardasil as part of the national immunisation programme against the human papilloma virus.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 July 2008,  Official Repo rt, columns 943-44W, to the hon. Members for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) and Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson).

Medical Treatments Abroad

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have been sent abroad for operations in the last three months; in which countries they have been treated; what the net effect on costs to the NHS was; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There are currently two routes that cover patients who choose to go to another European Economic Area (EEA) country for treatment: the E112 form and the Article 49 route. Information is held centrally on the former but not on the latter as the decision about reimbursement is the responsibility of the local commissioner. The Department also does not hold centrally information about patients referred to countries outside of the EEA.
	Departmental data shows that 275 E112 forms (used to refer national health service patients to other EEA countries) were issued between April and June 2008. The countries of treatment can be found in the following table. The Department is not able to tell what the cost saving (if any) will be for the NHS as, due to the nature of the claims process between member states, the United Kingdom may not receive the bill for the cost of this treatment for 18 months or more.
	The Department recognises that in accordance with EC Regulation 1408/71 and Article 49, British citizens are entitled to go to another country for healthcare, subject to certain conditions.
	
		
			  Countries of treatment 
			   Number 
			 Belgium 6 
			 France 65 
			 Greece 3 
			 Italy 6 
			 Poland 132 
			 Sweden 7 
			 Switzerland 3 
			 Austria 6 
			 Czech Republic 7 
			 Finland 5 
			 Germany 16 
			 Hungary 3 
			 Slovakia 8 
			 Spain 6 
			 Netherlands 2 
			 Total 275

NHS: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider making compliance with clinical guidelines produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence mandatory upon all NHS healthcare trusts.

Dawn Primarolo: Clinical guidelines relate to a whole pathway of care and can make a large number of recommendations spanning all stages of care from the diagnosis to treatment of a condition. They are not mandatory or subject to the same performance management assessment as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE'S) technology appraisals in recognition of their complexity. Clinical guidelines published by the NICE are developmental standards for the national health service and the Government expect them to be fully implemented over time.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures he has put in place to increase co-operation with other Government departments to improve the rehabilitation of offenders.

David Hanson: The new suite of public service agreements (PSAs), and in particular the Home Office led 'Make Communities Safer' and Cabinet Office led 'Socially Excluded Adults' PSAs, provide important levers to support a cross-government focus on offender rehabilitation and reducing re-offending. To provide strategic direction for this work and to promote an effective cross-government partnership response, I co-chair a Reducing Re-Offending Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) which includes Ministers from 14 Government Departments. We have recently completed a formal consultation that builds on our partnership work to date and informs us in moving forward.

Sharia Law

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Lord Chief Justice on the use of sharia law in the arbitration of some disputes.

Bridget Prentice: The Lord Chief Justice and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Jack Straw) meet on a regular basis. The Lord Chief Justice set out his views on sharia law in a lecture on 2 July 2008 at the East London Muslim Centre.

Restorative Justice

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent consideration he has given to the use of restorative justice practices in the criminal justice system.

David Hanson: The Government are considering any encouragement it can provide to support continued growth of adult restorative justice, taking account of the research report published on 16 June on its impact on reoffending. Restorative justice is embedded in youth justice. Pilots of a new out of court disposal started in April 2008.

Electoral Systems

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on his Department's review of electoral systems.

Michael Wills: We published the Review of Voting Systems earlier this year which considers the experience of the new voting systems introduced in the United Kingdom since 1997. The review forms part of the continuing debate on electoral reform. The White Paper on House of Lords reform, published yesterday, which includes a number of options on possible voting systems for elections to an elected second chamber, contributes to this continuing debate.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to establish more refuges for victims of trafficking throughout the UK.

Maria Eagle: This year we are investing a further 1.3 million into the Poppy project to support women trafficked into sexual exploitation. This covers the core bespoke support services, the outreach service and the continuation of the capacity building work that started during Operation Pentameter II which resulted in service level agreements being put in place with other women's refuges across the country.
	The Government have given its commitment to ratify the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings by the end of the year. This will require us to enhance our existing arrangements by continuing to build capacity to support these victims and to develop support arrangements for victims trafficked into forced labour.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for the fraudulent registration of vehicles in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Data collected centrally combines all the offences within the offence group Fraud, forgery etc. associated with registration and licensing documents. As a result we are unable to identify separately prosecutions involving fraud for offences under ss. 44 and 45 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements the Parole Board has made to protect the security and confidentiality of communications between its staff and prisoners' solicitors.

David Hanson: In response to government initiatives at the beginning of this year, the Parole Board carried out a general review of security matters throughout their organisation including the way in which communication is conducted with prisoners' representatives. A new security policy and manual for staff was issued in April 2008.

Parole Board: Correspondence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements the Parole Board has for sorting incoming mail; whether there have been changes to the arrangements in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I am informed by the Parole Board that their incoming mail is initially scanned centrally for suspect devices, as is all mail for secure Government buildings in London. It is then delivered by government messenger service to the board's London offices. The mail is not opened until it has been received by individual teams within the board who then open and action the mail. Following a recent review a new central services team will be set up to handle incoming mail once it arrives with the board and will be supported by a new post database that has been developed for that purpose.

Prisoners Release: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been released on end of custody licence from prison in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds Metropolitan District and  (c) Yorkshire and Humberside in each year since the scheme began.

Jack Straw: The available information on numbers released by establishment is published monthly in Table 2 of the statistical bulletin End of Custody Licence releases and recalls' available from the Library of the House and the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	The following table gives the available information on numbers of prisoners who were released under the end of custody licence (ECL) scheme from the date the scheme came into effect on 29 June 2007 to 31 May 2008, by each prison in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
	
		
			   Total releases( 1) 
			 Askham Grange 11 
			 Everthorpe 401 
			 Hull 220 
			 Leeds 313 
			 Lindholme 399 
			 Moorland 214 
			 Moorland Open 166 
			 New Hall 359 
			 Northallerton 473 
			 Wealstun 226 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside public prison establishments 2,782 
			   
			 Doncaster 924 
			 Wolds 42 
			 Contracted out prison establishments 966 
			   
			 Total 3,748 
			 (1) 29 June 2007 to 31 May 2008 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Construction

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress the Government have made in its prison capacity building programme.

David Hanson: The prison capacity programme will provide an additional 20,000 prison places and an increase overall capacity to just over 96,000 by 2014.
	The programme has to date delivered 3,140 prison places and will provide a further 1,000 prison places this year.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding has been allocated from the Building Schools for the Future programme to National Challenge schools  (a) in the last and  (b) for the next three financial years.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding is provided to local authorities as an 'envelope' to allow allocation of resources to individual schools reflecting the local view on priorities and needs. Details of allocations to BSF local authorities are included in the answer to your question 217532.
	15 secondary schools, where in 2007 fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils attained five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics, are expected to open in new or remodelled BSF buildings this financial year. A further 256 will benefit from funding as part of current Building Schools for the Future projects, either through Local Education Partnerships, the Partnerships for Schools National Framework or as One School Pathfinders. An additional 73 are included in pre-BSF private finance initiative projects, and 29 are being, or have been built under the DCSF Academies programme.

Extended Schools

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria he used to select the areas which will pilot the extended schools subsidy.

Beverley Hughes: DCSF selected local authorities to participate in the extended schools subsidy pathfinder on the basis of Government Office nominations. DCSF asked each Government office to nominate two local authorities and two reserves to participate in the extended schools subsidy pathfinder.
	DCSF asked Government offices to consider the following issues in making their nominations:
	The need for the 18 pathfinder local authorities to reflect a representative national range of characteristics. For example, urban/rural, high deprivation across the authority/pockets of deprivation in a more affluent authority.
	To nominate authorities whose schools are well on the way to meeting the extended school core offer.
	To nominate authorities according to the Government office's judgment of LA's capacity to deliver the pathfinders.

Music: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications were received for funding from the fund established for the professional development of music teachers; how many have completed programmes funded as a result of such applications; and what the cost of the scheme has been to date.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 July 2008
	After a tender exercise in 2006, the contract to develop and deliver a programme of professional development for practitioners involved in music in primary schools was agreed with the Open university and Trinity college London. The 2 million funding for the programme has been for both the development and delivery of a national CPD programme, which is free for participants.
	Initial applications were received from just over 1,300 teachers and this resulted in 915 practitioners actively engaging with the programme. Of those who did not end up engaging with the programme, most withdrew before starting, due to change of circumstances and/or time constraints. Every practitioner has a mentor and an individualised training programme. 312 mentors have been appointed and trained. Practitioners have been completing their portfolios for moderation and certification, and 132 completed portfolios have been received so far.
	The announcement of 332 million for music education over the next three years which was made last November includes 1 million a year for continued support for the programme of professional development for practitioners involved in music in primary schools: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2007_0216 We expect to train at least a further 3,000 key stage 2 practitioners during that time.

Pupil Referral Units: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals are attending pupil referral units.

Kevin Brennan: The requested information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  All schools, excluding independent schools: Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, as at January 2008, England 
			   Number of pupils( 1)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 2)  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 3)  Percentage of all pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals( 4) 
			 Mainstream schools(5) 7,422,420 1,074,630 14.5 96.8 
			 Special schools(6) 91,830 28,680 31.2 2.6 
			 Pupil referral units 25,290 6,790 26.8 0.6 
			 Total 7,539,530 1,110,090 14.7 100.0 
			 (1) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration. Also includes pupils with other providers in pupil referral units.  (2) Pupils who are eligible for and are claiming their free school meal entitlement.  (3) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils in the same type of school.  (4) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  (5) Includes maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, CTCs and academies.  (6 )Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.   Note:   Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Schools: Cadets

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on expanding cadet forces within state schools.

Jim Knight: The independent National Recognition of the Armed Forces study by Quentin Davies MP recommended expanding cadet forces within state schools. Lord Adonis and Derek Twigg, the Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State with policy responsibility for this area, have met twice in recent months to discuss the expansion of cadet forces in state schools, and our Departments will continue work closely together on this issue.

Schools: Sanitation

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of toilets in English schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many schools in England only have outside toilets; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what survey records his Department holds on the provision of school toilets; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will review the adequacy of the standard of toilets in English schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Schools should put as much effort into designing and managing toilets as they do in building and managing other facilities. They should be clean, safe, well equipped and accessible. Children and young people themselves cite the state of school toilets as a top priority. It is unacceptable that they are put off using toilets at schools because they are badly designed, vandalised dirty or hang-outs for bullies. We want pupils to be healthy by drinking plenty of water throughout the day and they cannot do that without feeling safe to use the toilets.
	That is why last year for the first time we laid down clear guidance in the form of a specification for design so that schools can use the record amounts of investment in school buildings and facilities to provide the highest quality pupils' toilets. The guidance sets out specific design features to combat antisocial behaviour; suggests how floor space can be designed effectively and encourages local education authorities and schools to involve pupils in the design and management of the facilities to foster a sense of pride and ownership.
	The required number of toilets in schools in England is set out in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. Responsibility for applying the requirements of these regulations rests with local education authorities.
	Schools and local education authorities should comply with the requirements of the School Premises Regulations and the HSE Workplace Regulations regarding hygiene and cleanliness then school toilet accommodation will be adequate. But these are minimum requirements and we want more than that which is why we issued the guidance last year.
	In the first term of government, the last 450 primary schools with outside toilets had them replaced. We are not aware of any remaining schools in England which only have access to outside toilets.
	We do not hold survey records on the provision of school toilets but we are confident that local education authorities will have assessed their toilet accommodation as part of asset management planning and together with the schools will have remedied most inadequacies by now.
	The bulk of schools capital is allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local asset management planning priorities, including the upgrading of toilet and washroom facilities. Research on the use of devolved formula capital shows that around a fifth of schools have improved toilets each year from 2003-04 to 2006-07.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under 700 million in 1996-97 to 6.7 billion in 2008-09 and will rise further to 8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to upgrade toilets.
	At present we are reviewing the School Premises Regulations and will consult on them in due course.